Apex Track
Scaling Your E-Cell to New Heights
Apex Track
What is Apex?
The EDD’s Apex Track is focused on elevating student startup/ideas and . Participating startups receive expert sessions on basics of developing a startup from scratch. Startups will be allotted hands-on tasks and will get to compete in contests with other EDD student startups to see how well they perform on a given challenge in relation to others. All of these startups will be given networking opportunities with investors and other startup founders at the end of the tenure.
Incentives:
- Founder & Investor Connect: Exclusive closed-door interaction sessions with startup founders, investors, incubator leaders, and successful E-Cell alumni.
- National Recognition: Top-performing Apex colleges will be featured on the E-Cell IIT Madras website, social media, newsletters, and flagship events.
- National Collaboration Network: Priority opportunities to co-host events, startup competitions, and entrepreneurship initiatives with other Apex colleges.
- Quarterly Performance Reviews: Personalized feedback reports highlighting strengths, improvement areas, and growth roadmap for each Apex E-Cell.
- Showcase at E-Summit IIT Madras: Selected Apex colleges get the opportunity to present their journey, initiatives, or impact at E-Summit IIT Madras or other flagship platforms.
- Strategic Partnership Support: Guidance in connecting with incubators, startup communities, industry partners, and potential sponsors for long-term collaborations.
- Apex Excellence Awards: Exclusive awards recognizing excellence in leadership, innovation, outreach, sponsorship, community building, and overall E-Cell performance.
Eligibility:
- Open to colleges with student startups (at least 2), with some credibility (like a pitch deck, lean canvas), something that confirms they will be seriously involved.
- E-Cell of the college (or a similar body) must appoint a POC who is responsible for ensuring active participation from their college, along with a Faculty advisor who oversees the whole operation.
- E-Cell POC: Must be a member of college's E-Cell or similar body. He/She must be actively involved in the program. He would be responsible for onboarding student startups from his college as well as communicating with them about their progress as compared to the rest of the cohort. It is also POC's responsibility to take feedback from their college startups and communicate that with us and any other problems the startups might be facing.
- How well you fill your application and perform in the interviews will decide whether your college is added to the Track or not.
Code of Conduct:
- Participants are expected to maintain professionalism, respect all speakers and fellow participants.
- Any form of dishonesty, including falsifying information or breaching of rules will result in disqualification.
- Any sensitive information shared during the program must be kept confidential and not disclosed outside the EDD community.
- Throughout the sessions, tasks and contests; participants are expected to meet the deadlines and give their 100% on the tasks. Lack of effort and bad attendance will result in lesser incentives for the startup.
- The programme requires 3-4 hours per week of time from each startup, the POC will also need to dedicate comparable time.
- Application must be filled within the given time frame, now exclusions will be made. Make sure to convey your schedule ahead of time, last minute asks to change the timings of interviews, sessions etc will not be entertained.
Cycle Details:
1
Customer Discovery & Problem-Solution Fit
Speaker
session
Post
session task
Contest
2
Business Model Basics
Speaker
session
Post
session task
Contest
3
MVP Fundamentals & Pitching
Speaker
session
Post
session task
Contest
Timeline
1
Customer discovery and problem-solution fit
6 September — Session 1 + PST
9 September — PST 1 deadline
13 September — Contest 1
16 September — Submission deadline
18
September — Results
2
Business model basics
22 November — Session 2 + PST 2
25 November — PST 2 deadline
29 November — Contest 2
2 December — Submission deadline
4
December — Results
3
MVP fundamentals and pitching
6 December — Session 3 + PST 3
9 December — PST 3 deadline
13 December — Contest 3
14 December — Submission deadline
15
December — Results